Chapter 13: Psychological Disorders

abnormal behavior – Patterns of emotion, thought, and action that are considered
pathological (diseased or disordered) for one or more of these reasons: statistical
infrequency, disability or dysfunction, personal distress, or violation of norms.

medical model – The perspective that diseases (including mental illness) have
physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and possibly cured.

psychiatry – The branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and
prevention of mental disorders.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) – The

classification system developed by the American Psychiatric Association used to
describe abnormal behaviors; the IV-TR indicates that it is the text revision (TR) of
the fourth major edition (IV).

neurosis – Freud’s belief that all neurotic conditions arise from unconscious conflicts.

psychosis – Mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and some mood disorders.

state disorders – The patient’s current condition, or “state”.

trait disorders – Enduring problems that seem to be an integral part of the self.

anxiety disorders – A type of abnormal behavior characterized by unrealistic,

irrational fear.

generalized anxiety disorder – Characterized by chronic, uncontrollable, and

excessive fear and worry that lasts at least six months and that is not focused on
any particular object or situation.

panic disorder – Spontaneous panic attacks of sudden, but brief, attacks of intense
apprehension that cause, trembling, dizziness, and difficulty breathing.

phobias – Involves a strong, irrational fear and avoidance of objects or situations

that are usually considered harmless.

obsessive-compulsive disorder – Involves persistent, unwanted fearful thoughts

(obsessions) or irresistible urges to perform an act or repeated ritual (compulsions),
which help relieve the anxiety created by the obsession.

mood disorders – Characterized by extreme disturbances in emotional states (also

known as affective disorders).

major depressive disorders – Long-lasting depressed mood that interferes with the
ability to function, feel pleasure, or maintain interest in life.
bipolar disorder – Repeated episodes of mania (unreasonable elation and
hyperactivity) and depression.

learned helplessness – Depression occurs when people (and other animals) become
resigned to the idea that they are helpless to escape from something painful.

schizophrenia – A group of psychotic disorders involving major disturbances in

perception, language, thought, emotion, and behavior. The individual withdraws
from people and reality, often into a fantasy life of delusions and hallucinations.

hallucinations – Imaginary sensory perceptions that occur without an external

stimulus.

delusions – Mistaken beliefs based on misrepresentations of reality.

positive schizophrenia symptoms – Involve additions to or exaggerations of normal

thought processes and behaviors, including impaired attention, limited or toneless
speech, flattened affect, and social withdrawal.

negative schizophrenia symptoms – Involve the loss or absence of normal thought

processes and behaviors, including impaired attention, limited or toneless speech,
flattened affect, and social withdrawal.

dopamine hypothesis – Overactivity of certain dopamine neurons in the brain

causes schizophrenia.

diathesis-stress model – diathesis-stress model – Stress plays an essential role in

triggering schizophrenic episodes in people with an inherited predisposition (or
diathesis) toward the disease.

substance-related disorders – Abuse of or dependence on a mood or behavior-

altering drug.

comorbidity – The co-occurrence of substance-related disorders and other mental

disorders, including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia, and
personality disorders.

self-medication – Individuals drink or use drugs to reduce their symptoms.

dissociative disorders – Amnesia, fugue, or multiple personalities resulting from

avoidance of painful memories or situations.

dissociative identity disorder (DID) – Previously known as multiple personality

disorder, at least two separate and distinct personalities exist within a person at the
same time. Each personality has unique memories, behaviors, and social
relationships.
personality disorders – Inflexible, maladaptive personality traits that cause
significant impairment of social and occupational functioning.

antisocial personality disorder – Is used interchangeably with the terms sociopath

and psychopath. These labels describe behavior so far outside the ethical and legal
standards of society that many consider it the most serious of all mental disorders;
People with this diagnosis feel little personal distress, yet their maladaptive traits
generally bring considerable harm and suffering to others.

borderline personality disorder (BPD) – Impulsivity and instability in mood,

relationships, and self-image.

culture-general symptoms – Symptoms that are useful in diagnosing disorders

across cultures.

culture-bound symptoms - Disorders found only in certain cultures.